Hindutva and BJP

Despite its defeat in the 15th Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not intend to give up its Hindutva agenda. This was made clear at the BJP's national executive committee meeting, held recently in Uttar Pradesh, where it was categorically declared that there was no question of the party deviating from its avowed Hindutva goal.

Anti-Muslim Approach
However, a section of the BJP believes that the party's defeat is largely because of its distance with the Muslim community. This section believes that the party was defeated because of the staunch Hindutva face of the Gujarat Chief Minister and senior party leader, Narendra Modi, and the provocative speech made by party member Varun Gandhi. The section also feels that the party cannot progress by ignoring the Muslim community.

However, the group affiliated to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) holds that the BJP should not deviate from the Hindutva agenda. Having become flabbergasted with the internal dissension in the BJP, the RSS admonished the party and advised it that if it has any difficulty with the Hindutva, it is free to give it up. This encouraged the Sangh Parivar lobby. Consequently, the BJP recalled the Hindutva issue at its executive committee meeting.

Hindutva Agenda
The fact is that the BJP has been criticized on its Hindutva stand within the party circle. When the BJP was in power at the federal level, it had to bow repeatedly to secularists in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and had to shelve the Hindutva issue. The party's traditional voters, therefore, accused it of having forgotten the Hindutva agenda, Uniform Civil Code, Ram Temple, and Article 370. However, by the time the parliamentary elections were held, the party returned to the Hindutva and brought Modi, a star campaigner of the Hindutva and a staunch enemy of the Muslims.

Also by encouraging Varun Gandhi at his "venomous" speech, the party strived to give the impression that it continues to hold on to the Hindutva. However, the Congress party's electoral success and the increasing interest of the Muslims in the party, forced the BJP to admit that ignoring Muslims is not in its favour.

Hindutva vs Secularism
In short, ever since the results of the parliamentary elections were declared, the BJP find itself bind to the ideological struggle between the Hindutva and secularism. The party has never analyzed and examines the causes of its election defeat sincerely nor could it gather enough courage to accept its responsibility for the defeat.

The executive committee meeting in Uttar Pradesh can be termed significant in as much as that a senior party leader Arun Jaitley has admitted that the party has been weakened at the organizational level. At the same time, the BJP unit in Uttar Pradesh, taking the responsibility of the defeat, expressed its determination to continue to hold fast to the Hindutva.

One wonders whether by the time the elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly are held, the BJP would be able to compartmentalize the voters that may charismatically give their verdict in favor of it. Possibly, the BJP may resort to old tactics in the name of the Hindutva. Even if it happens, the party would have to bear the brunt of it.